Participants’ characteristics
| Characteristics | Professional group (n=20) | Recreational group (n=93) |
| Age in years (mean±SD)* | 29.0±4.0 | 52.3±12.9 |
| Gender (n (%)) | ||
| Male | 14 (70) | 88 (94.6) |
| Female | 6 (30) | 5 (5.4) |
| Surfing experience in years (mean±SD)* | 21.2±5.6 | 36.0±15.0 |
| Stance (n (%)) | ||
| Regular | 16 (80) | 70 (80.6) |
| ‘Goofy’ | 4 (20) | 18 (19.4) |
| Regular otological symptoms (n (%))* | 18 (90) | 63 (67.7) |
| Average no of regular symptoms (mean±SD) | 2.9±1.1 | 2.3±1.3 |
| Previously seen doctor due to otological symptoms (n (%)) | 12 (60) | 58 (62.4) |
| Previous otitis externa (n (%)) | 12 (60) | 38 (41.2) |
| Previous diagnosis of EAE (n (%)) | 4 (20) | 24 (25.8) |
| Previous surgery for EAE (n (%)) | 2 (10) | 4 (4.3) |
*Denotes statistically significant difference between groups (p<0.05).
EAE, external auditory exostosis; n, number of individuals.